Friends, Readers, beloved Followers, the entire Liberal Blog-o-net, Moderate Independents, and all of you who use your frontal lobes from time to time...Ya'll, I most sincerely apologize to you for South Carolina. This state is just plain SORRY.
My neurons get all gummed up with cognitive dissonance whenever I take my eyes off the natural beauty of my adopted home and dare to peek into its politics, its leaders, its poverty, its 12.2 % jobless rate, its high school drop-out rate...okay, absolutely anything other than its beauty! But, please, let me point out that the beauty that attracted me here is--where it hasn't been defaced by the handiwork of greedy, amoral fools--substantial.
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| Magical Wonderland, Suzanne Gaff |
I live on a narrow stretch of land between the Inland Waterway, three beautiful rivers, and the Atlantic Ocean. The beaches are wide, white, and close; I live ten minutes from them. There are cypress swamps, the Atlantic flyway, and proximity to historic Charleston, one of the most beautiful cities in America. I'm ten minutes from Brookgreen Gardens, one of the most enchanting spots in the country. I have developed a dependency on giant, spreading Live Oaks hung with Spanish moss. As long as there is good air-conditioning, this place is heavenly. Just don't read its newspaper. And stop up your ears if you ever hear South Carolina mentioned on any television news broadcast of any ilk...including Fox's ilk, where they've got a monopoly on ilk.
This is not just a Red State; this is an All Sphincters Flaming Red State [Revlon, I've copyrighted that name, so don't even think of stealing it]. And it's full of crooks, liars, and what my grandfather used to call "pure-T fools." As evidence, I offer three items from today's local newspaper.
Judge Bradley Mayers was arrested at 11:30 p.m. yesterday at 62nd and Ocean Boulevard (think big resorts and lots of pedestrian traffic) for DUI and driving on the wrong side of the road. Judge Mayers has requested a jury trial. No problem locating twelve of his peers around here, I assure you. Hey, I haven't been called for jury duty yet, guys! Pick me!
Former Arkansas Governor and 2008 Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spoke at a Christian music festival here this week. According to today's local paper,
...Huckabee was asked to talk about his values and not necessarily his politics. "We didn't want it to be politically motivated, that's why the Republican party and the local party weren't involved," Flynn said. "He spoke for 45 minutes. The excitement was at an all-time level. We were sold out. "We had a waiting list a mile long for people wanting tickets and 500 or 600 people standing around the walls," Flynn said.
Hogan Gidley, the executive director of Huckabee's political action committee, said the appearance was not related to the PAC or to political activity. Flynn said Huckabee's speech addressed some comments made about the Obama administration, but most of the 45-minute speech dealt with his ideas about the power and need for prayer and hope.Yeah, I remember Huckabee as a standing-room-only kind of speaker, don't you? And fair and balanced, too. And a-political. Such a nice guy. He wasn't campaigning for anyone, folks, honest and truly. Mikee, leave those poor ducks alone, dammit. Republican candidates in this state don't need your help one little bit; the only upcoming critical election is already IN THE BAG, a done deal. And why not, when the candidate is none other than our own, home-grown Andre Bauer, Mr. Ready-Fire-Aim.
Andre is up for Governor, replacing Mark (Appalachian Trail) Sanford. I know those of you in other states are eating your hearts out; we get all the great ones here! I absolutely cannot do better than to present the local paper's article as written:
Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said lazy residents who don't want to take jobs harvesting the state's crops are the root of South Carolina's problems with illegal immigration.
Bauer's remarks came at the opening of a debate Friday of Republican gubernatorial hopefuls in Spartanburg. The candidates were asked about Arizona's new tough illegal immigration law and whether South Carolina should do more to fight the problem.
"The real problem is the work force," Bauer said. State relief programs leave people unwilling to work the jobs in fields and orchards now filled with migrant workers, he said.
"The problem is, we have a giveaway system in this country and in this state that is so strong people would rather sit home and do nothing than do these jobs.
"Laziness is not a disability," Bauer said.
"There are lot of people that are flat-out lazy and they are using up the goods and services that we have in this state."
Bauer has made a point throughout the race for the June 8 GOP nomination for governor of criticizing people who depend on the state for help.
The national spotlight turned on him in January when he said: "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that." (my emphasis)
In the midst of the uproar, Bauer launched his first ads of the campaign and said he was only saying the things that needed to be said but others were too politically correct to talk about.
Contest: More names for shades of Red, guys! How Red is S. Carolina (we weren't born here) ? If you live in a Red State, let your own experiences inspire you. Tell us what you really think. Take your cue from Andre and don't be too politically correct to talk about it. The winner gets a free guided tour of a lovely beach and golf resort town on the east coast.
As a citizen of the scarlet center of California; that part where agriculture is king, we have to put up with fools who parrot that 'lazy citizens' talk all of the time. There's a reason that people don't get jobs picking fruit or harvesting whatever...it takes a good deal of skill and no farmer will risk his crop to rank amateurs. But for simple minded politicians like Mr. Bauer, the truth is better left alone especially when the alternative to the truth gets the electorate all fired up with indignation. And no farmers will correct the fool; they're republicans as well!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure! Thank you...
A brilliant post! Can't wait to send this to all of my liberal SC friends. (both of them!)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite SC story of late was the one about the man who claimed he was hit with a snake "for speaking the Word of God."
I'll put some thought to the red. Redneck red is inadequate.
Ooooh! I think Redneck Red is not too shabby, girl!
ReplyDeleteYa fergot "Secessionist Red" - Ft. Sumter and all that.
ReplyDelete"Deo Vindice" (Latin)
"With God our Vindicator"
Listen, y'all, I live smack dab in the center of Head-So-Far-Up-My-Ass-I-Can-Do-My-Own-Colonoscopy-Red Texas.
ReplyDeleteWe have Gov. "Nothing Succeeds Like Secession" Perry and Rep. "Baby Killer Shouter" Neugebauer. I truly feel your pain.
Having traveled through South Carolina extensively...all I can say, is like Mississippi, its always an odd trip.
ReplyDeleteBut being from Kentucky I cannot say much about politicians...we gave the world McConnell and Bunting...
Now my hometown is hoisting Rand "Ron Paul wannabe" Paul on the nation...
He is not much of an eye doctor and I fear even less of a politician...
Nance, I just discovered your blog. I love it!
ReplyDeleteS. Carolina is beautiful and Charleston is a gorgeous city, but it’s got to be really hard dealing with the politics.
Karen
You paint a very attractive picture of life in South Carolina. I'm looking forward very much to moving there. Would I be the third or forth Liberal there then?
ReplyDeleteMy vote is "Carolina Virgin Blush Red."
DB
I tip my hat to Steven’s comments. Work (productivity) has an economic value. The less an employer pays for that value, the more profitable their business; it’s been an employers’ market due to high unemployment. Potential employees, along with alien workers, also have a perception of their own value in the workforce. If you don’t pay aliens, they will leave. Indeed, it’s been reported over the last 2 years that Mexicans are leaving the US due to our poor economy; some of this data is based on the amount of money transferred back into Mexico.
ReplyDeleteAs the economy improves, the US unemployed will either continue their search for a position that utilizes their talent, skill and experience or take the lower-paying jobs or continue to free ride. At the same time, a talent pool shift will take place as people strive for better paying positions, thus opening again the lower paying work positions. In the meantime, if the employer cannot fill the positions, what will happen to those crops, dusty homes, overgrown yards, or households that need childcare, etc.?
Could someone tell us of the 6+ million out-of-work Americans, how many have the luxury to be unwilling to work? Too proud not to work for lower pay, I doubt it. Trying to find work for the equivalent of what they use to do, I doubt that too – that job market has changed. Trying to find work to pay their mortgage, feed the kids, keep their marriage intact – yep, I could see that.
In the meantime, the drug cartels can continue to grow by pumping drugs over the border and blooding the streets of the Border States: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, certainly only another facet of the dilemma.
The competition is fierce with new pressures on the work force – retirees looking for employment to cover their losses, graduates trying to break into those dream paycheck jobs, folks with their young families, folks that were in their stride, career-wise, and the aliens that had a bit of the American dream – gone, at least for now.
ReplyDeleteTreading carefully, here, I'll venture a comment about SC's situation. I am very willing and prepared to be corrected by someone who knows more.
ReplyDeleteIn our area, there is a large population of Americans who do not feel very far removed from their ancestors' coerced immigration to these shores as slaves. The Gullah culture is distinct and cherished; the crime of slavery is never far from anyone's mind; the plantations with their slave row cabins are historically preserved and familiar to our school children of all skin colors.
Here, the Civil Rights generation, the kids who were raised to be proud of their African heritage, were finally encouraged to hope for something more than share-cropping or farm labor in our cotton and tobacco fields. Many were not able to realize their dreams because of recalcitrant racism and a stunning lack of employment opportunity in the Low Country.
The passage of Civil Rights laws does not mean that everything suddenly changes; it takes generations for real change to take effect. There are those right here in our state government who will slow that change if they can. Laziness is no part of this story. Pride, sorrow, disappointment, anger, confusion, and grief have large parts. Addiction and anomie have evident, but secondary, parts. And now, shame takes center stage.
Laziness is what we call "a lack of success" in people less fortunate than ourselves (less fortunate is the key phrase here).
ReplyDeleteI got red just reading your post, Nance. Bauer especially brings some color to my lips. He makes quite the case for compassionate conservatism.
Laziness may not be a disability, but stupidity and heartlessness come awfully close. They should certainly disqualify one from seeking public office. (Wishful thinking, I know.)
Nance, I'm a bit green. With writing like this:
ReplyDelete"Friends, Readers, beloved Followers, the entire Liberal Blog-o-net, Moderate Independents, and all of you who use your frontal lobes from time to time...Ya'll, I most sincerely apologize to you for South Carolina. This state is just plain SORRY."
it's no wonder I follow your blog. With a bit 'o writers envy.
As for South Carolina, it was on my wife and my list before we relocated to Florida. Is Florida any better? Great beauty and wildlife here too (if you stay clear of resort areas). But the social/political climate can suck the optimism out of you. Just this month Governor Crist had to veto a bill, passed by the Florida Legislature, natch, that would have tied teacher pay to their students' scores on standardized tests. Oh yes, that would have helped the struggling schools in poor areas. Not. A Jeb Bush initiative. E-gads.
@Steve: I completely agree...if I was going to go through the trouble to grow a large crop I wouldn't want the type of person who will work for 8.50 an hour (legally) to be the one harvesting it.
ReplyDelete@Nance: Living here in the great state of Tennessee we are right up there with you. It appears that our politicians are more sneaky than those of SC. But who knows...I saw a road sign that said Patrick McCarthy for head of the school board and almost crashed my car...obviously not the same Pat but you can understand the humor.
It was really odd living here at the time of the elections. Sarah Palin is no less than a Deni-Goddess here. A hot woman with a college degree that knows her way around Bass Pro Shop and a gun cabinet is amazing and must be revered. Plus she likes God...well Hell why did we let that colored man win? The talk here is absolutely hysterical if you listen. Oh well...just know that there are at least 2 intelligent folks here. :)
It's not easy to add to this great post, or to the excellent comments, but here goes. Long ago, the Catholic Church made use of an interesting concept: "invincible ignorance." As the words suggest, this term relates to people so corrupt, so guilty of misusing the God-given gift of reason that they simply cannot, under any circumstances, be brought to enlightenment. I am not a Catholic, and would think it's becoming harder to be one. But this particular idea does seem to apply to the pockets or nests of the kind most tellingly represented by South Carolina.
ReplyDeleteAnother good Catholic idea I always liked is dramatized in Dante: in his Inferno, he describes people still walking around alive, but who are so evil that their souls have already been sent to hell. Could this idea also apply?
Nance - Greetings to one of--oh, maybe--five liberals in Nashville from one of four in South Carolina.
ReplyDeleteAnd greetings from The Swash Zone, home to two liberals from Nashville, a feminist from Charleston, two talking cephalopods, a blogging dinosaur (who is living proof that a species once thought to be extinct still walks among human beings), a nurse, a pirate, two psychologists, plus other enchanting creatures.
A certain ‘landscaper’ has been added to our Ink List, err, I mean our Blog Roll.
As a dweller of yonder barrier island, you probably have a swash zone of your own; but inasmuch as blogging and misery likes company, I was wondering if you would also be interested in joining our humble, fun-loving community (hint, hint).
Well, Texas is pretty red these days with our blessed Governor talking about seceding and all and now talking admirably of that Arizona new fangled immigration law.
ReplyDeleteBut it's funny. When I talk with folks at work and around town I don't hear the fiery rants. I don't hang out with liberals or conservatives or tea party or coffee party folks. I just hang out with professional business folk and that kind old black guy whose goal in life is to visit every restaurant in Houston and I sometimes flirt with waitresses when my wife isn't looking. They all tend to shake their head in amusement at the strange extremist goings on these days.
These folks don't get any attention. I just hope they will meander over to that voting booth with the same gentle common sense that I see. I kinda' feel hopeful that this odd and feisty flame of extremist passion with just flicker out.
I'm rambling. My message is that ultimately, demanding attention is self defeating. I choose to let them flicker out.